Necklace of El-Ahrairah: A Day At The Beach
by Drewmoviefan
Summary: In the late summer, after a major victory against Woundwart, Kevin and his newly adopted father, Captain Holly, decided to have an adventure. Which it turns out to be a surprise for Kevin from his father.


It was around towards the very end of summer, and months after our battle. My adopted father, Holly, or to say Captain Holly, suggested that him and I were planning to go on a trip, that he always wanted to plan, since our victory. However, due to our lives, we never got much of a chance, until in the middle of September.

It was a cool September morning, that Captain Holly came into my burrow, where my wife/doe, Thethuthinnang and I were sleeping. He gently tapped at me by the shoulder. I woke up to see my father was bright and early. I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up and to see clear.

"Morning Kevin." Captain Holly greeted.

"Dad, good morning." I greeted back.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be outside of the warren." Captain Holly than exited out of the burrow.

I decided to have a short good morning and goodbye to my wife. I gently nuzzled her, before she slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning, my dear." I greeted her.

"Oh, Kevin. You're up early. Good morning." she smiled.

"I'll be off with Captain Holly. I'll see you in days time. Will you be alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll make sure to sing at night to say I'm with you, while you're away." she give me a kiss.

"I'll do the same. I love you." I nuzzled her, before giving her a kiss.

"I love you too." she said back, before I hopped out of our burrow. While going through different burrows I heard the snores of rabbits still asleep. I continued to passing by different burrows, until I find myself outside of "The Big Root". I had a freeze to hear flashbacks of what could have been a terrible night. During the battle, my father rescued me, before started to be beaten by _Efrafan_ bucks. I managed to hurry in time to save, before Captain Orchis faced off my father. It was a brutal battle that resulted my father's injury, until he saved Campion's life that resulted near death cuff. However, through Power of Prayer, my father was brought back to life. Even though I was still grateful to God for answering my prayers, I still have these dreams that what if my father was killed and I couldn't brought him back. I than woke up to find myself outside to see the sun is rising. The clouds were scattered, but the air is blowing calm, cool winds.

"Kevin?" I looked over to see Captain Holly calling for me. I hopped along to catch up with him. "I see you and you were standing there like you gone _tharn_. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... it's just. I kept having these dreams of what happened here. Especially with you." I told him, as he became somewhat concerned. However, I did my best to brush it to the side. "Don't worry, we'll have a time together like Father and Son. I won't try to make it an interference."

"It's alright, Kevin. If there's something you need to talk, I'm more than happy to listen." he smiled, before we hopped down the hill and began our journey.

* * *

After arriving towards the farm, we simply followed the truck tracks, which leads to a road. We followed the roads for hours, until we find a tour bus came into a stop, as the driver drops off a passenger. I help my father to a luggage trunk, as I assured him it was safe. We even had a quick sniff to make sure it goes to where it is we're going. We simply rested inside the bus, as we wait for a next few stops.

We than managed to have a fifth stop. Captain Holly noticed the trunk opening up. He got a quick sniff to smell more air and a certain smell that he didn't reveal to me. He notified me that this was our stop. We exited out of the trunk, before it closed on us. Minutes after we've been hopping, I was wondering where we're going.

"I never have a chance to ask, Dad. Where are we going?" I asked.

"Somewhere you missed." he stopped and smiled back at me. I continued to follow him, until we managed to find a path that leads down towards where there's sand.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked ahead... nothing but ocean. The ocean waves are crushing into shore, the ocean salty wind blowing on my face that I could smell it, and feeling the warm sand on my paws and feet. It was a beach. A place that I longed miss during my childhood. A joyful tear fell from my eye, that I had to clean my eye.

"Are you alright, Kevin?" Captain Holly asked me.

"Yes..." I sniffled. "It's that... I can't believe that's where we are."

"Well since you told me about the beach you went to. I decided to go on solo patrol to find a beach, alike to the beach you went to. Hopefully, it's suiting to your liking."

I couldn't help, but gave my father a warm hug. While having tears fell onto his fur that he comforted me, until I stopped crying. "It's not like home, but... it's beautiful here. Thanks Dad."

"Anytime, son. So... what do you normally do at a beach?" he asked.

I smiled as it was time to show him some of the things that I remember doing at a beach. For starters, we hopped along the beach to see not a single human was around nor _elil_. Surprisingly, out of nowhere, Captain Holly felt a pinch to see it was a small crab. He managed to shake it off his leg, while I couldn't help but laugh. He than asked me what kind of creature was it. I than explained it to him that it was just a crab, even gone further of remembering eating crab with my family. The next thing I told him, was that we charge up in the water and/or swim. Although, we didn't dare to go out to the ocean, but we managed to find a good size pool of water that we managed to cool ourselves off. Until Captain Holly splashed some water on me, that I decided to tackle him and we playfully splashed each other with water. Before we ran along the shorelines, as the ocean waves rush towards us.

When the sun started to set and the waves coming in, we simply rested on the shore, but further back without getting swept by the waves. We watched the sunset, as we reminiscence of the time we spent here today. The sun would eventually set, as the moon rises. By the time it did, we saw billions of stars glittering above us in the night sky. Captain Holly was amazed to see those stars at a night like this.

"Perhaps I need to show Hyzenthlay this place one day." Captain Holly suggested. "There's so much things to enjoy here. At the same time, to have some peace."

"You should. You two needed some time alone together for a few days." I agreed.

He nodded. "You know, when I was watching _Frith_ set for the night and watch stars glow. I felt as if my family and friends from Sandleford are watching down on us."

I still remember his tragic story of surviving Sandleford's destruction, even witnessing the demises of his family and friends. "I could feel the same way with my family. With the stars watching down on me, too."

We than continued to watch the stars and possibility finding some shooting stars. I than started to remember hopping through "The Big Root", as I exited out this morning. It still bugs me a bit of from the trauma. "Dad..."

He turned towards me. "What is it, son?"

"I was meaning to tell you from this morning. I hopped through 'The Big Root' again... and, I still have moments of flashbacks of what happened. Especially to you." I told him. "I'm always bit scared of crossing the entrance and/or exit. It just reminds of me that I was close to losing you. If I did, it was like losing two fathers in my life."

My father set his paw on my back. "Kevin... it's in the past, son. However, I couldn't forget about what you have done for me, beside of reviving me."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Standing by my side." he answered. "You refused to leave me and you carried me back into the warren."

"I couldn't leave you to be taken by _elil_." I started to tear a bit. "I just didn't wanted to leave you there! I wanted to bring you back inside home."

He nuzzled me. "Here now, Kevin. Here now... I'm forever grateful. Even I was not meant to be revived, I would always be with you and Hyzenthlay. I would watch over you both, as you two would carry on."

"However, I believe it would be unfair, because I believe you two should live long as you can." I spoke.

"We are, if you helped to bring me and her together more than ever. And of course, you and me." he warmly spoke that I smiled a bit from my tears. "How about a song? It seems very peaceful out here and maybe a song could help us enjoy here more."

I chuckled. "Well, from looking at the stars. It reminds of me of an artist named Vincent Van Gogh, who painted 'Starry Night'. From that, there's a song that pays tribute to him and his work called _Vincent_ by Don McLean."

"Interesting, how about we hear song, if you wish to." he suggested.

"Gladly." I smiled, as I grabbed out my phone and started to play the song...

_Starry, starry night_  
_Paint your palette blue and grey_  
_Look out on a summer's day_  
_With eyes that know the darkness in my soul_  
_Shadows on the hills_  
_Sketch the trees and the daffodils_  
_Catch the breeze and the winter chills_  
_In colors on the snowy linen land_

_Now I understand_  
_What you tried to say to me_  
_And how you suffered for your sanity_  
_And how you tried to set them free_  
_They would not listen, they did not know how_  
_Perhaps they'll listen now_

_Starry, starry night_  
_Flaming flowers that brightly blaze_  
_Swirling clouds in violet haze_  
_Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue_  
_Colors changing hue_  
_Morning fields of amber grain_  
_Weathered faces lined in pain_  
_Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand_

_Now I understand_  
_What you tried to say to me_  
_And how you suffered for your sanity_  
_And how you tried to set them free_  
_They would not listen, they did not know how_  
_Perhaps they'll listen now_

_For they could not love you_  
_But still your love was true_  
_And when no hope was left in sight_  
_On that starry, starry night_  
_You took your life, as lovers often do_  
_But I could have told you, Vincent_  
_This world was never meant for one_  
_As beautiful as you_

_Starry, starry night_  
_Portraits hung in empty halls_  
_Frameless heads on nameless walls_  
_With eyes that watch the world and can't forget_  
_Like the strangers that you've met_  
_The ragged men in the ragged clothes_  
_The silver thorn, a bloody rose_  
_Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow_

_Now I think I know_  
_What you tried to say to me_  
_And how you suffered for your sanity_  
_And how you tried to set them free_  
_They would not listen, they're not listening still_  
___Perhaps they never will___

* * *

After the song was over, Captain Holly was amazed from the song. "That was beautiful."

"Thanks. It describes about Vincent Van Gogh and his paintings, despite of mental illness, he manages to paint some of the most beautiful paintings, like 'Starry Night'." I spoke.

"I see."

I than started to yawn. "Excuse me, after a long day, I'm starting to feel sleep. Although, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to scrap ourselves a burrow for the night."

Captain Holly chuckled. "I'm afraid not. However, there's no sight of _elil_ around, so we'll be alright for one night."

I scooted close to my father's soft side, as I rested my head upon him. "Thank you again for a wonderful day here."

"Your welcome, son. It was a honor and a privilege to be by your side." Captain Holly said back. "We should go to sleep, we have a long journey for home in the morning."

I nodded, before I gave him a kiss on the cheek with a nuzzle. "Goodnight, Dad. I love you."

He nuzzled back. "I love you too, son. And goodnight." We both than rested on the sand, despite of the cool ocean winds blowing towards us. However, due to our fatherly/son bonds of love, we kept each other warm through the night. It was perhaps one of the greatest moments I had with my father, since I've been living here for so long now. It would be in the morning, after watching the sun rise, we set off for home and later told everyone about our adventures in The Great Water.


End file.
